Many people groom their fingernails and toenails by filing and buffing them. The top surface of a nail is filed and polished using emery boards, nail files, and other similar tools, to produce a surface that shines or that can be decorated with a design and/or color.
A typical tool for filing nails includes a core or base sheet having at least one abrasive surface. The core is typically a flat, substantially rigid sheet, such as paper, wood, plastic, or foam having two sides. A layer of abrasive is attached to one or both sides to provide filing or buffing surfaces for the tool. Optionally, one or more layers of foam or other flexible material may be provided between the core sheet and the layer of abrasive. For two-sided tools, the same abrasive grit may be provided on both sides, or different grits may be provided on each side.
Many nail tools have a plain appearance, e.g., a simple gray or tan color of the sandpaper commonly applied to the surface(s) of the core sheet. To enhance the appearance of nail tools, it has been suggested to provide a decorative and/or colored pattern to the surface of the abrasive layer(s). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,512, which names the same inventor as the present application, discloses applying dyes to the surface(s) of nail tools using sublimation.
Alternatively, the '512 patent suggests providing a sheet of paper or fabric between the core and abrasive layer, the sheet including a colored and/or decorative pattern thereon. The '512 patent teaches using transparent materials over the sheet, e.g., for the abrasive layer and for any adhesives used, to allow the pattern to be visible through the abrasive layer.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,574 to Calafut discloses placing a sheet including a pictorial image, such as a photograph or printed matter, beneath a transparent or translucent abrasive surface of a nail file. Alternatively, the '574 patent discloses printing on the back side of the abrasive layer. One problem with printing on the back side of the abrasive layer is that they generally include polyester or other films to which abrasive material is attached. Dyes or inks, particularly water-based dyes or inks, may not bond to such films. Consequently, printing on such films may result in the dyes bleeding or beading, thereby impairing the quality of any image that is applied to the films.